Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 37:10

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

I prophesied: see Eze 37:7.

The breath, Heb. the spirit; the spirit of life, or the soul, Gen 2:7.

Came; entered, took up its abode. They lived; presently discovered that they did live.

Stood up; rose with strength, able to support themselves.

Army; a power, so the Hebrew, or army of strong, courageous, and well-ordered soldiers. The phrase in the Hebrew is very full; a power, or great host, very, very great. Thus they rise, that the prophet and we might know how safe they would be in themselves, and how terrible to their enemies.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

10. Such honor God gives to thedivine word, even in the mouth of a man. How much more when in themouth of the Son of God! (Joh5:25-29). Though this chapter does not directly prove theresurrection of the dead, it does so indirectly; for it takesfor granted the future fact as one recognized by believing Jews, andso made the image of their national restoration (so Isa 25:8;Isa 26:19; Dan 12:2;Hos 6:2; Hos 13:14;compare Note, see on Eze37:12).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

So I prophesied as he commanded me,…. The second time he prophesied to the wind, as he had done to the bones, as he was ordered: and the issue of it was,

and breath came into them; or, “the spirit”; a spirit of courage in the Jews, to go up to their own land; the Spirit of life from Christ, which will enter into the witnesses slain, and revive them; and into the Jews in the latter day, and convert them; and which enters into dead sinners, and quickens them; and this he does while ministers are preaching the Gospel to them; see Re 11:11:

and then lived; as men do spiritually, when the Spirit of God has produced a principle of spiritual life in them; they live by faith on Christ, in union and fellowship with him; they live in newness of life, and a holy life and conversation; and shall live and reign with Christ upon the first resurrection, and for evermore:

and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army; as the Jews did when they returned from the Babylonish captivity; they were many, and in a posture of defence; and as they will be in the latter day, when converted, Ho 1:10, and as the number of the saints will be upon the first resurrection, Re 7:9, so when men are quickened by the Spirit of God, “they stand upon their feet”; they stand in the grace of God, and on the foundation Christ; they stand by faith in him, and in the doctrine of faith, and in the house of God; and they stand firm against all their enemies: they are an “army”; they are in a military state; fighting against sin, Satan, and the world; and though few in comparison of others, yet considered by themselves are very numerous; and as they will appear when the Jews will be converted, and the fulness of the Gentiles brought in; and especially when they will be all gathered together at the coming of Christ.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

‘So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up on their feet a huge army.’

Ezekiel fulfilled God’s commands. He prophesied to the spirit, and life came into that great army of men and they lived. Note the emphasis on the many, the ‘huge army’. It would be important in the interpretation to those who heard.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Eze 37:10-11. An exceeding great army This vision itself, in the first place, affords a very lively image of the resurrection; next, they who are raised to life again, are said to be an exceeding great army; the Hebrew is still more emphatical, and even labours for expression: meod meod, A very very great army; like that of all nations and kindreds and people, which no man could number, Rev 7:9. It is yet farther observable, that these dry bones, so miraculously raised to life, are called, Eze 37:11. The whole house of Israel; an expression to which the return from the captivity of Babylon can never wholly answer; for it is most certain, that the whole house of Israel did not return: no, nor yet the whole house of Judah, but only a small remnant of them. If some more glorious return of that people, and their conversion to the Christian faith, is still to be expected, (Rom 11:25-26.) yet it may be questioned whether even this will fully answer the intent of the prophesy: for, to have a right notion of this matter, it may behove us to consider carefully the complaint of the captive Jews, to which this prophetic message is applied as a remedy. The complaint we have in these words; Behold, say they, our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: We are cut off for our parts; that is to say, as to ourselves. Hebrew lanu. Certainly there must be something meant by this expression; and if there be, let any one judge whether a deliverance of their sons and grandsons from the Babylonish captivity (for none can say that they were promised it before the end of seventy years, of which the far greater part was still behind,) could any way answer the complaint here made, of a lost hope, or a despair, as to themselves; much less a promise of a deliverance to their late posterity, at the distance of some hundreds or thousands of years, though we conceive it to be never so great and glorious. Take the words that follow, then, in their obvious sense, and as a promise of some personal happiness to those who faithfully adhere to God in all their straits and difficulties, and it affords a consolation highly worthy of the divine omnipotence and greatness to reach out to his creatures; and though we suppose them before acquainted with the doctrine of the resurrection, yet there is something in this plain and circumstantial account of it, delivered with such high authority, which could not but renew upon their minds a pleasing hope and expectation of it, sufficient to silence all complaints.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Eze 37:10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

Ver. 10. And the breath came into them. ] De foras, from without: as at first they were infused by God, so they are still. This Augustine sometime and for some length of time doubted about, and was therefore censured boldly, but unadvisedly, by one Vincentius Victor, as Chemnitius relateth it.

And they lived, and stood up upon their feet. ] As life will show itself by sense and motion. Live things will be stirring. Arida etiam peccatorum cords Deus gratis vitali vegetabit.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)